Claims totaling $60 million dollars were filed against Caltrans by a law firm representing the victims and their families of a fatal car collision in the Cajon Pass in June that left two young people dead and their school mates seriously injured.

Victorville resident Nicole Brittney Lyle, 19, and John Anthony Cabrera Jr., 16, of Phelan were killed when the blue 2003 Chrysler PT Cruiser they were in was struck by a Peterbilt dump truck on June 24 at the 15 Freeway and Highway 138, authorities said. The dump truck, driven by Sonja A. Meeks, was traveling on the southbound 15 Freeway off-ramp and ran a stop sign before colliding with the PT Cruiser and rolling on top of it, officials allege.

Los Angeles-based law firm Girardi & Keese filed the claims with the California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board in July, said David Lira, an attorney handling the case. The firm subsequently received a letter from the state indicating that the court system would be the appropriate means of resolving the claims because the issue is “complex and outside the scope of analysis undertaken by the Board.”

The state claims board is expected to officially reject the claims at a hearing on Sept. 18, which Lira said would allow the firm to initiate litigation.

“They’re going to reject it, but we have to wait until the board formally votes on it and after the formal rejection, I can file the lawsuit,” Lira said.

Caltrans spokeswoman Terri Kasinga said, “Our hearts go out to the victims and their families. This is an unfortunate accident, and we are unable to comment on any pending litigation, or possible litigation.”

Michael Baker, 20, and Shane Gretzner, 19, both of Phelan, and David Castaneda, whose age and city of residence were unknown, suffered major injuries. Lira’s firm represents Baker, Gretzner and the family of Cabrera.

“We have the loss of two wonderful young people in their prime and injury to three other innocent folk,” said Lira. “All three (survivors) suffered varying degrees of orthopedic injuries, such as Michael Baker, who has severe left hand and arm injuries, which has required surgeries and ongoing care. One of the aspects that can’t be forgotten was that they witnessed and were trapped in the vehicle for an hour as their friends lay dead. That has had an emotional and psychological impact that these young men are struggling with.”

Court documents say Meeks was driving a vehicle owned by Samms Enterprises, Inc. when she allegedly ran the stop sign, and at the time of the accident, was employed as an agent of Caltrans.

The claim also characterizes the off-ramp as “too steep,” and “too short,” and calls for a redesign, with specific improvements to add measures to disperse the kinetic energy of an out-of-control vehicle and add safety features including “appropriate signage, guard rails, roadside recovery areas, wider lanes” and other measures to prevent a similar incident from happening again.

The families of the victims believe this accident is a wake-up call to fix the intersection, according to the law firm, which it says has been the site of prior accidents.

Lira was part of the legal team that won millions from the Dodgers on behalf of client Brian Stow, a Giants fan who was injured in a 2011 attack at the stadium parking lot in Los Angeles.

Neil Nisperos has been a reporter covering everything from business to education, courts, politics, city government, features, arts and entertainment since 1999. On social media, he has a combined following of about 25,300 people over various apps and platforms. He's passionate about the cinema, science, philosophy, poetry, art, photography, culture, literature and history. He feels fortunate to be in the profession that keeps power in check, memorializes people's stories for posterity and helps people with useful information.